Dick Baldwin

Dick Baldwin
Baldwin in 1937
Born
Robert Baldwin

(1911-01-09)January 9, 1911
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
DiedOctober 28, 1996(1996-10-28) (aged 85)
Lebanon, Oregon, U.S.[citation needed]
OccupationActor
Years active1937-1944 (film)
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1938; died 1993)​

Dick Baldwin (born Robert Baldwin; January 9, 1911 – October 28, 1996) was an American film actor.

Biography

Baldwin was born Robert Baldwin in St. Louis. His father, John H. Baldwin, owned the Baldwin Famous Shows carnival; his mother was Susan Turpin Baldwin. He attended Soldan High School and St. Louis University High School, graduating from the latter in 1925. His name was changed after he began working in films.

In his youth, Baldwin danced in the vaudeville act of Edith Clasper. In 1925 he was a member of the chorus in productions of the St, Louis Municipal Opera. After he finished high school he began performing with Paul Simmons's singers, a group that played the Orpheum Circuit for 37 consecutive weeks. That was followed by 40 weeks as a dancer with Fred Stone and Dorothy Stone in Three Cheers. After that production ended, he spent a year with Edith Clasper's Dancing Partners on the Orpheum Circuit in 1929. Next came a job as master of ceremonies for the Paramount-Publix theater chain, after which he danced, played third saxophone, and sang with Frank and Milt Britton's band in 1932. He and Virginia Watson formed a vaudeville team that performed in the New York area, and he worked with the Charles Emerson Cook Players in Atlanta.

Emanuel Cohen signed Baldwin to a film contract on December 30, 1936. His debut as a film singer came in Life Begins in College (1937).

On Broadway he was the stage manager for A Young Man's Fancy (1947).

Baldwin married actress Cecilia Parker on June 1, 1938, in Ventura, California. She died in 1993. They had a son.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1937Life Begins in CollegeBob Hayner
1937Love and HissesSteve Nelson
1938International SettlementWally Burton
1938Mr. Moto's GambleBill Steele
1938One Wild NightJimmy Nolan
1938Spring MadnessDoc
1944Knickerbocker HolidayFirst PalUncredited
1944The Hairy ApeThird EngineerUncredited
1944Goin' to TownJimmy Benton(final film role)

References

  1. ↑ Gates p.310
  2. 1 2 3 4 Niemeyer, H. H. (August 22, 1937). "Making a Touchdown in Movies". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 5 H. Retrieved September 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "Dick Baldwin, A Comer, in Warfield Film". San Francisco Chronicle. January 5, 1938. p. 8. Retrieved September 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 "Two Young St. Louis-Born Movie Up-and-Comers Teamed in New Film". St. Louis Star-Times. March 31, 1938. p. 12. Retrieved September 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Niemeyer, H. H. (August 22, 1937). "Making a Touchdown in Movies". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 53. Retrieved August 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Wins Contract". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. December 30, 1936. p. 8. Retrieved September 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Dick Baldwin to Make Debut as Film Singer". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. October 5, 1937. p. 11. Retrieved September 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Richard Baldwin". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on August 17, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Hardy Family In Real Life Much Like Screen Selves". The Baltimore Sun. Maryland, Baltimore. August 6, 1939. p. 44. Retrieved February 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Actor Turns to Films To Wed Screen Idol". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Associated Press. June 2, 1938. p. 18. Retrieved September 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Cecilia Parker; Actress, 79". The New York Times. July 27, 1993. p. D24. Archived from the original on October 8, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Actress Cecilia Parker Is Mother". Portland Sunday Telegram and Sunday Press Herald. June 20, 1943. p. A 8. Retrieved September 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.

Bibliography